


Aftermath of War

by RNJ



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Spoilers, Hurt Steve Rogers, Hurt Tony Stark, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-10-10
Packaged: 2018-06-10 08:33:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6947878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RNJ/pseuds/RNJ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One month after the Accords and Siberia, Tony Stark contemplates making a phone call.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time posting in this fandom and on AO3 in general. I haven’t written a story in over a decade but Civil War gave me too many feels not to try picking up the proverbial pen again.
> 
> I’ve chosen to ignore the Marvel TV shows because the movie did. The Accords only asked for the Avengers’ signatures (but interestingly not for Thor or Bruce Banner) even though they were presumably for all enhanced individuals (but not Spidey or Ant-Man, presumably as they weren’t known to operate internationally?). According to the TV shows other enhanced individuals were also already active at the time of the Accords but they weren’t asked for signatures either. Yes, I know there was a tie-in with Agents of Shields final season episodes, but again, since the MCU ignored them, then so am I. Anyway, for these and other reasons, including the fact I don’t watch any of the shows and know next to nothing about them, I am basically ignoring anything not in the MCU. 
> 
> Also, there will be some hand waving in regards to the Accords themselves and their version of the UN as Marvel wasn’t very specific about either. So, I will be taking what Marvel did tell us and adding to it. 
> 
> Lastly, character and other tags will be added as they appear in the story.

Chapter One:

A month after he’d received Steve Rogers’s letter and the phone he’d sent along with it, Tony Stark sat his desk staring at the old fashioned flip phone. He’d just hung up his office phone after another back and forth volley with Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross over the Accords.

Tony knew from the beginning that, regardless of what the rest of the countries who signed the Sokovian Accords wanted and expected from the ratification of the novel length document, Secretary Ross had his own agenda. An agenda that he’d cultivated for years, growing in power and manipulating events as much as he could to get what he wanted.

Even if his former science brother and ex-Avenger Bruce Banner had never told him how the Hulk was born (and why he eventually ran) and Ross’s involvement in it all, Tony had known the former general was bad news immediately upon meeting him years ago after the catastrophic fiasco between Bruce and Blonsky in Harlem.

The speech Ross had given the Avengers at their meeting of gaining a new perspective over the years and being a changed man still rung hollow weeks later. The former US general had wanted super soldiers to control and he hadn’t cared about morals in the getting. That it had backfired on him was a blessing at the time. 

But Ross was smart, using the years in between to gain respect and a power base that enabled him to take over the position of Secretary of State after the previous Secretary, Alexander Pierce, had been outed as a leader of Hydra and mastermind behind Project Insight that would have wiped millions of people off the face of the earth if not for the interference of Captain America and friends. In this position, Ross had been able to get the ear of the President of the United States and put himself as the US representative to the UN instead of the ambassador/Perm Rep for anything related to the Accords. *

But Tony did not believe for a moment in Ross’s new altruism, especially not after his interactions with the man over the last month and realizing how little he’d actually changed under the surface from the defeated general he’d met years ago. 

Mind wandering for a few moments, Tony thought about Bruce and how disappointed he’d be in Tony for choosing to side with Ross on anything, let alone legislation that stifled the Avengers and relegated them to a special ops team answerable to politicians.

Knowing that path led to nowhere good, Tony sighed and returned to staring at that god awful technologically backward flip phone and the increasingly heated conversation he’d just finished with Ross.

Originally Ross had blindsided the Avengers when he’d come to them with the Accords. They’d only had three days until the UN met to ratify the Accords. Three days to read over all the fine print and sign or else be forced to retire. Documents like that didn’t get written overnight and 117 countries didn’t just suddenly agree to ratify them in such a short span of time. And the panel that would be responsible for the actual oversight was problematic at best. One of many things Tony’s lawyers were trying to get amended.

Even though he’d agreed to sign, Tony was no fool. He’d immediately gotten his entire team of lawyers to go over the Accords with a fine toothcomb and he’d balked at some of that aforementioned fine print. Still, he knew which way the wind was blowing and decided that it’d be best to sign then amend the parts that were unreasonable, illogical or unworkable.

Unfortunately, not all his teammates had agreed. Rhodey, unsurprisingly had been enthusiastic, pointing out, somewhat naively, that this was the UN demanding this. As though the UN was infallible or always had the best interests of the world at heart.

Vision had agreed with them, well as much as his logic allowed. He hadn’t outright supported the Accords but did admit that the idea behind them could not be ignored. Eventually, he did land on the side of the Accords reservations or not.

Natasha had seemed resigned, wanting the path of least resistance after reading the terrain while Wanda had still been quietly reeling from all that had happened in Lagos. The dozen innocent lives lost weighed heavily on her and the team, especially as most of the reporting of events had glossed over or ignored the fact that had she not interfered there’d have been many more deaths in the crowded marketplace Rumlow had blown himself up in. And had they not gone after Rumlow and his team in the first place, a deadly biological toxin would have fallen into the wrong hands. That vial would have caused at least hundreds of deaths had it been released.

And Steve – Rogers, he should really call him Rogers as they certainly weren’t friends now, if they ever had been – had chafed at the entirety of the Accords as they were reading through it. At least until he’d took off to London with Sam Wilson, loyal sidekick at his side, leaving the rest of them to continue through the document.

And that cut short meeting had been the turning point, the beginning of the end of the Avengers. Things went to hell in a hand basket quickly after that.

Bringing his thoughts back to the increasingly worrying conversation he’d just had with Ross, Tony stared at that flip phone again before finally taking out Roger’s letter to read over again, even though he’d already memorized it.

_“I’m glad you’re back at the compound. I don’t like the idea of you rattling around a mansion by yourself. We all need family. The Avengers are yours. Maybe more so than mine. I’ve been on my own since I was 18. I never really…fit in anywhere – even in the Army. My faith’s…in people, I guess. Individuals. And I’m happy to say that for the most part, they haven’t let me down. Which is why I can’t let them down either. Locks can be replaced, but, maybe they shouldn’t. I know I hurt you Tony. I guess I thought by not telling you about your parents I was sparing you, but…I can see now I was really sparing myself. I’m sorry. Hopefully one day you can understand. I wish we agreed on the Accords, I really do. I know you’re only doing what you believe in, and that’s all any of us can do, it’s all any of us should. So no matter what, I promise you, if you need us. If you need me, I’ll be there.”_

Despite what he thought was arrogance and some condescension on Rogers’s part in some of it, Tony decided that the sentiments behind the letter were sincere. He knew that temporarily putting aside the personal devastation that happened in Siberia the last time he and Rogers were face to face was the only way he’d be able to talk to the man now without blowing up at him before the conversation even started. 

As hard as that seemed during and immediately after the event, Tony’s ire was somewhat abated now. Six weeks had passed since that awful confrontation and Tony had eventually admitted to himself that his intention had been to kill Barnes, regardless of who got in the way. Yes, Barnes had been brainwashed, tortured for years and only the weapon. Hydra had pulled the trigger, using Barnes as the gun. But Rogers’s betrayal in not telling Tony earlier what he’d suspected, but willfully ignored in his blindness of anything related to Barnes, was still a bitter pill to swallow.

As difficult as it was and as much as he still wanted to tear Rogers a new one, Tony knew that would have to wait until they fixed the Accords. And the only way to do that at this point was to find a way to work together and save his bitterness for after. Tony was gambling that Rogers would cooperate, or at least listen to what Tony had to say. Rogers had almost signed at one point, before everything went completely off the rails in Berlin and the final split of the team.

One last quick debate of the pros and cons for the nth time since he’d received that FedEx package, Tony made sure his office was secure and picked up the phone, ready to dial the only programmed number.

 

*According to UN rules, the Secretary of State or the POTUS can replace the UN ambassador (also referred to as the Permanent Representative of the US) in general assembly or Security Council meetings. It’s usually only done rarely, but MCU made it seem like he planted himself there permanently, at least in matters related to the Accords.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not beta read but I think I've caught all the mistakes. If you see otherwise, please let me know.

Chapter Two

Steve Rogers stood in his sweats at the floor-to-ceiling window of his bedroom, looking out at the scenery beyond. The view from the technologically advanced Wakandan palace was beautiful with its lush greens and vibrant jungle, a dichotomy of Wakanda’s people as well as its ruler.

His eyes on the view, Steve’s mind was elsewhere, thinking back over the last couple of months, the consequences of the Accords and the aftermath of Siberia. 

Steve had never been stupid or naïve, but he had been an idealist. World War II and then life in the 21st century though, had taught him to be more of a realist. 

When Dr. Erskine had asked him, what feels like a lifetime ago, if he wanted to kill Nazi’s, Steve had answered him honestly. He just didn’t like bullies, regardless of where they came from or whom they bullied.

After “earning” the title of Captain America for real, Steve had found bullies in his own government. He had had a hard time convincing the higher-ups of his choices for the Howling Commandos because units were supposed to be segregated and Jones and Morita were not white men. Steve hadn’t cared about skin color or nationality and had eventually gotten his way. But it was the first time that had him questioning the government and politicians he was working and fighting for. And that didn’t even bring into play how a Hydra agent had managed to slip into Project Rebirth right under the senator’s nose.

When he woke up at SHIELD (one of many letter government agencies he’d found sprouted up since his plane had gone down), Steve let their lie go, giving Fury the benefit of the doubt that they had genuinely thought it was the best way to break it to him that 70 years had gone by while he slept in the ice. 

Well, he’d let it go but remained wary with what it turned out was good reason. When Loki had invaded and stolen the Tesseract just two weeks after Steve had been defrosted, he really hadn’t been ready to get back out there. * 

But between the Phase 2 weapons he’d found onboard the Helicarrier and the World Security Council’s willingness to fire a nuclear weapon on a still populated Manhattan, Steve’s wariness of people and government in oversight continued.

Still, after getting his bearings and talking to Peggy Carter he’d decided to join SHIELD, albeit with extreme vigilance. He’d been grateful for their training and the few genuine friendships and general camaraderie he’d had there for a couple of years. But just when he had gotten somewhat comfortable there, Director Fury had shown him Project Insight and Steve realized they had never really been on the same page.

Finding out the Secretary of State, a key member of the US government, Fury’s boss, and direct liaison between SHIELD and that same World Security Council who’d thought nuking Manhattan had been a good idea, was a leader of Hydra had shaken his loyalty to government again. Steve had believed Fury when he’d told him that he hadn’t known about Bucky being the Winter Soldier and that much he’d believed. But the fact that Hydra grew and flourished right under their noses and burrowed their way into not only SHIELD, but other US agencies, Congress, US armed forces and countless global intelligence agencies and forces, was more than alarming. Anyone who thought they’d all been found with Natasha’s information dump had been very naïve.

And he’d been proven right, having to fight Hydra more than once since then, culminating in finding Loki’s scepter with Wolfgang Von Strucker that had been the beginning of ushering in Ultron and what had been their biggest split until the Accords.

And there it was. The full circle back to those damn Accords and Tony Stark’s decision to go along with them, even sign them before the rest of the team had had a chance to go over the lengthy document. Steve had known that Tony had been on a downward spiral even before Ultron. He’d always felt guilt and responsibility for any lives lost, whether by his own creations or just that they couldn’t save every one every time.

It wasn’t to say that none of them felt it, of course not. Each of the Avengers had felt every loss, dealt with it in their own way. But for some, it had been easier than for others. Steve could admit to himself now that maybe he should have done more over the years. Looked deeper than Tony’s façade of being okay with everything before and after Iron Man.

Back on the Helicarrier during the Chitauri invasion and their bickering, Tony had yelled at Steve that they weren’t soldiers. Well, they’d both yelled a lot and not all of it had been because of Loki’s scepter, but what stood out to Steve now was Tony’s line about them not being soldiers as well as not being a team player. It was true in Tony’s case. He had been a loner civilian that took on the mantle of a hero but he’d never been trained like the rest of the team (except for Bruce who was a special case) at that time. 

They’d known what it meant to be a soldier in a war, be it a global conflict or covert missions. Either way they had been trained for combat. And understood that losses were inevitable. You did your best, saved as many as you could and dealt with it somehow when you couldn’t. That was something that Tony could never get past. Each loss over the years had hit Tony harder and harder and his fear of not being able to save everyone fed into what ultimately became Ultron.

Maybe Steve should have pushed harder for Tony not to retire from the Avengers after Ultron. But he’d seen the toll it had taken on the other man, had seen that it was the proverbial last straw and let him go, hoping he’d find his peace in retirement with Pepper and engineering and building for the company.

They had kept in touch after that, but basically stopped talking of anything really personal, to the point where Steve hadn’t even known that Tony and Pepper had broken up until they met up because of the Accords and then Bucky. That had been both their faults.

Did he regret not telling Tony about what he’d found out about and further suspected about his parents’ death? At the time he’d thought he was doing what was best for both of them. He had had so much on his plate the entire time Steve had known him that he had convinced himself that there had never been a right time. And what good would it have done for any of them when he hadn’t had any proof of what he’d suspected. Especially when he’d thought Tony had finally found peace and been in a good place for the first time since even before Iron Man.

Looking back now, he’d had a lot of excuses. But he had made a mistake. Especially after rounding on his teammates, Tony included, for keeping secrets. But the truth is, like Steve had told him in the letter, he’d been sparing himself rather than Tony. 

Yes, he’d been in the wrong that time and had deserved Tony’s ire and bitterness but Tony had gone too far in his grief. Tony had become more emotional over the years he’d known him, more desperate to save as many lives as he could, more full of guilt for those that he couldn’t and even more anguish for Sokovia and others he’d deemed as solely his fault. Retirement from the Avengers and Iron Man obviously did not help as much as he thought it would. At wits end, his relationship with Pepper obviously fraying, he’d used the Accords to try to fix everything and in the end he’d been back in his armor and without Pepper.

Steve had understood Tony’s emotional downward spiral and how watching the video of his parents’ (especially his mother’s) assassination was what finally broke him completely. Tony had known by then that Bucky had been innocent in the UN bombing and everything he had done as the Winter Soldier was the result of years and decades of horrific torture and brainwashing. But rationality had been thrown aside by an already reeling Tony and all he saw was a final betrayal and he had needed to lash out. 

But Tony hadn’t just been lashing out in punishment. He had been trying to kill Bucky. Nothing short of that would have stopped him, even though none of them had been the villains that day. 

Steve knew as soon as Tony had sucker punched him what his intentions towards Bucky would be so he had to stop him. At first he’d tried to keep the violence at bay, told Bucky to run while he tried to talk Tony down. But that hadn’t worked and Tony had been relentless, trying to keep Steve far enough way that he could finish Bucky off before Steve could stop him. 

And Steve had to stop him. Not just for his and Bucky’s sake but Tony’s too. If he’d managed to kill Bucky it would destroy Tony because Tony he wasn’t a murderer. Tony hadn’t blamed either Clint or Dr. Selvig for their actions under Loki’s spell. And he’d eventually see that Bucky hadn’t been at fault for the Winter Soldier either, been at least as much of a victim as anyone. But by then it’d be too late, Bucky would be dead, Tony would have more to feel guilty about and none of it would bring his mother back.

When Tony had told Steve, “Stay down. Final warning,” Steve had known he had no other choice. He had to stop Tony, whatever it took and face the consequences afterwards. The fight had been violent from the start but at that point it became vicious, no holds barred from anyone’s end. All while Zemo, the real villain, watched with glee before running out while they fought to the bitter end.

Steve had honestly believed that If Bucky hadn’t distracted Tony while he powered up his repulsor, Tony would have shot him from close range, consumed by vengeance as he was. As it was, Bucky had managed to distract Tony long enough for a beaten, bloodied and exhausted Steve to get in close enough to Tony to take him down. 

Even now, Steve still had nightmares about the fight in general and the look of fear on Tony’s face as Steve brought his shield down on the arc reactor. He’d seen it in Tony’s eyes as he held his hands up, genuinely afraid that Steve would go for the killing blow. Whatever remained of their tattered friendship broke completely as both men realized how far they’d been willing to go in their anger.

And now the team lay broken. Tony, Vision and a possibly permanently crippled Rhodey at the compound, Natasha in the wind and the rest of them fugitives hiding in Wakanda after Steve and allies breaking them out of the Raft. They had been able to smuggle Clint’s family into Wakanda. Uprooted as they were, at least they were together. Scott hadn’t fared as well. He was now a fugitive again, this time an international one, unable to see his daughter Cassie or the Pyms while they were being hunted. Sam and Wanda were with them, too. They were all helping each other cope as well as keeping Steve grounded while Bucky lay in stasis again.

Thankfully T’Challa had had a change of heart and put them up secretly, his people loyal to him and keeping their presence quiet from the outside world. 

T’Challa had also changed his mind about the Accords. As he’d told Steve he had believed in the Accords but not the politics behind them. Especially not after his own attempt at misguided revenge in tandem with the shoot-to-kill order on Bucky after the bombing, Everett Ross laughing at the notion of a lawyer for Bucky and relegating Steve’s team to the Raft without any due process. After the members of the Dora Milaje (elite all-female guard that serve the king) that he’d sent with Steve to help with the break out told T’Challa of the conditions they’d found the team in, Wanda especially, T’Challa had been even more disturbed in what these Accords meant as they were written. 

Secretary Ross’s machinations and power play didn’t sit well with the Wakandan king either. He hadn’t known that the heroes had been blindsided by the Accords and given only three days to sign or retire. Finally, he also now believed that having no voice to choose once they’d signed was not right either.

Steve and T’Challa had started discussing and debating how the Accords could be changed to become what the mostly altruistic 117 countries meant for it, not for the small panel of members led by the questionably moral Secretary of State of the US, acting instead of the US ambassador to the UN, usurping her position in anything related to the Accords.

As Steve had told Tony, back in Berlin, he hadn’t been opposed to accountability and oversight in principle but there needed to be stipulations and safeguards to the Accords because as is, they weren’t reasonable or workable. But even with his doubts, Steve had been willing to sign at that point. He’d known it was a form of bribery. Tony had hit his soft spot, protecting Bucky, when he’d said that nothing had been done yet that couldn’t be undone, they’d make the last 24 hours legitimate and Bucky would get transferred to an American psychiatric center instead of a Wakandan prison. So, yes Steve had been ready to sign, resigning himself to Tony’s plan – “we put out the PR fire, documents can be amended.” 

But then he’d heard the rest and realized he couldn’t do it. Not even for Bucky. His original fears had been right. Hearing that Wanda had been “confined to the compound” had been his wake-up call. The Accords weren’t for them, they were for people to weapons to point and shoot. They’d have no choice once they signed. Whatever the agenda of the moment was, they’d be bound to it. No choice to help without permission, when something pointed south – like Wanda being put under house arrest for trying to help save as many lives as possible.

Steve was startled out of his thoughts and anger for the chain of events that made them “guests” of Wakanda by a ringing telephone. It took him a moment to realize that it was the untraceable burner phone on his night table that was ringing, with Tony the only one having the number.

 

* I’m going with Marvel’s own timeline for 2012 here, wherein that Steve was found on April 14 and thawed out of the ice on April 16, woke up on April 17 and was already in Stuttgart facing off against Loki on May 3.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading.
> 
> Special thanks to all who've left kudos and to anon for the great conversation.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, next chapter is finally here. I'm not completely happy with it and not sure of the voices. But after getting cross-eyed from looking at it for so long, I figure I should just go ahead with it.

Chapter Three

Last time:

One last quick debate of the pros and cons for the nth time since he’d received that FedEx package, Tony made sure his office was secure and picked up the phone, ready to dial the only programmed number.

Steve was startled out of his thoughts and anger for the chain of events that made them “guests” of Wakanda by a ringing telephone. It took him a moment to realize that it was the untraceable burner phone on his night table that was ringing, with Tony the only one having the number.

 

Now:

“Tony?” Steve spoke into the phone, tamping down a little flutter of hope that Tony’s calling him signified the beginning of a possible reconciliation.

“Cap.” Tony replied, tone flat and cold.

“Is something wrong Stark?” Steve asked after a moment. There was no warmth in Tony’s tone, so hope dulled, Steve responded in kind. 

“Please.” He snorted. “Should have asked what’s not wrong. It’s a much shorter list.”

“Anything you want my help with?” Steve asked hesitantly. 

“Yeah.” Tony audibly sighed into the receiver. He was tired of working mostly alone to fix things but that didn’t mean he was ready to forgive or forget. “I want to fix the Accords, like I told you before. You know, before Barnes went bat-shit and tore out of custody…”

“Stop.” Steve interrupted testily. “You know that wasn’t on him. Zemo triggered him.”

“Be that as it may,” Tony gritted out, grudgingly conceding that much. “That was the point of no return for you and your gang of felons.”

“That’s not why they joined the fight.” Steve was adamant in this. “It’s not why we fought. I told them what was going on and what the consequences would be. They listened, made their own decision and joined with their eyes wide open.” 

“Oh please.” Tony scoffed, angered again. “A cause? For them maybe. But for you, it was all about Barnes. Don’t deny that everything after Romania was about him!” Tony held on stubbornly.

“You know that’s not true.” Steve contradicted more calmly. “We weren’t at the airport to run away. We were there to get to Zemo before he could unleash what was in that bunker. I tried to tell you that but you didn’t want to listen. And did you forget that I was willing to sign those damn Accords and get Bucky help until you brought up putting Wanda on house arrest without telling anyone?” 

“ _You’re_ bringing up keeping things hidden? Really Rogers?”

“I told you why I kept it from you and that I was sorry about that.” And they were back to that. The one thing that it seemed neither one of them would ever be able to get over.

“That sure as hell didn’t make it better then and it doesn’t now either.”

“And you going after Bucky? Knowing he’d been tortured and brainwashed for _70 years ___into following Hydra’s orders? Did that make anything better?” Steve snapped.

“Don’t give me that. I wouldn’t have been in that position if you hadn’t lied to me for two years.” Tony retorted.

“I made a mistake in judgment.” That was an understatement.

“A big one.” Tony interrupted snappishly.

“Yes, a big one.” Steve conceded. “ And that’s on me. You can forgive me or not. But tell me, what would have happened if I didn’t try to stop you? Would you have stopped and taken Bucky into custody to face the same justice Clint, Wanda, Sam and Scott had? Or would you have just killed him outright?”

“I…”

“You weren’t trying to subdue him, Tony.” Steve didn’t give him a chance to answer, his own anger getting the better of him. “You went all out on Bucky.”

“I was angry. And I had every right to be.” Tony snarled into the receiver, incredulous that Steve was denying Tony his righteous fury in favor of defending Barnes again.

“You didn’t have the right to kill him.” Steve spoke over Tony’s protest. “Or me.” He added, lower.

“I was trying to keep you away from it!” Tony denied the accusation.

“At first maybe.” Steve conceded. “But powering up your repulser, do you remember that? _”Stay down. Final warning.”_

__“You know what I remember?” Tony recoiled from the accusation, pointing instead to his own fear of seeing Steve’s dark side directed at him. “You kept bringing down your shield. Kept going for the faceplate. Were you still playing peacemaker then? ‘Cause from where I was looking, you know, down on the ground defenseless…”_ _

__“I was only trying to immobilize the suit.” Steve interrupted, denying Tony’s allegation._ _

__“Well, you did a great job on that.” Tony wasn’t done yet. “The suit was dead. T’Challa had to get me out of it since you took off with your BFF.”_ _

__“I know. I asked him to check on you when we passed him and Zemo on the way out.”_ _

__“Oh. I didn’t know that. Forgive my inattention,” he added derisively. “I might not have been firing on all cylinders at the time.”_ _

__“You really thought I’d leave you there alone and defenseless?”_ _

__“Well, I’d hoped not, but then I didn’t know you anymore.” Tony confessed. “If I ever did.”_ _

__“You knew me.” Steve asserted. “Just like I knew you. It’s one of the reasons we were always able to push each others buttons so well.”_ _

__“Yeah, I’ll give you that. No one can make me quite as angry as you.” Tony admitted. “Look, this isn’t getting us anywhere. I didn’t call to open up Pandora’s box. We’ll never see eye to eye on what went down.”_ _

__“So, what did you want?” Steve was willing to move the conversation on and away from things that might never be resolved for the sake of an at least temporary ceasefire and possible truce._ _

__“Are you still willing to consider an amended version of the Accords?”_ _


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

“Are you still willing to consider an amended version of the Accords?”

Steve sighed, “I can’t. Not the way they were written and executed.” The language was deliberate.

Tony didn’t miss the jab at the ‘shoot on sight’ order on Barnes that was ordered when they chased him in Romania. “Yeah, in hindsight that wasn’t the way to go.” He admitted. “But…”

“But what? It would have been okay if Bucky hadn’t been innocent of the bombing?” Steve interrupted.

“I didn’t say that.” Tony countered with a heavy sigh. “I thought we weren’t going to do this.”

“Okay. You’re right. Sorry.” Steve took a calming breath. “I’m not opposed to some kind of oversight. None of us are. But it has to be fair for all sides.”

“Well, that’s a start.” Tony breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe this wouldn’t be the total disaster he was worried it would. “What would you and your cronies agree to?”

“They’re not cronies, Tony.”

“No? What then? Teammates? You know like what we once were?” Tony couldn’t help being somewhat snarky. 

“I still believe we want the same thing at the end of the day.” Steve ignored Tony’s latest jab.

“Really?” Tony asked dubiously. “And what’s that?”

“To help save as many lives as possible.”

“Huh. That’s actually on point.”

“I just don’t see the advantage of the permanent members of the UN Security Council being the panel that decides where we go and where we don’t.” Steve continued as diplomatically as he could, “By the time they debate and decide what do to do, it might be too late to do anything. And Ross put himself at the head of it?”

Steve was referring to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council that, as per the Accords, would be responsible for overseeing the Avengers and any other super powered individuals that came along. The members included the United States, United Kingdom, France, China and Russia – not all of them the most democratic and altruistic of nations.

“Yeah, that wasn’t a stipulation I was fond of either.” Tony admitted. “I don’t much trust Ross myself. The lawyers are working on empowering an alternative permanent panel. A less political one.”

“What incentive do they have for making any changes now?” Steve asked doubtfully.

“Doing the right thing.” Tony responded, the irony of it not lost on him.

“You really trust Ross to do the right thing? Even putting aside the Raft, you know what he did with Bruce. You really believe he’s changed and isn’t still making a play for his own personal super powered army?”

“But it’s not just him.” Tony countered, not denying the other man’s misgivings.

“But he’s the head, and even still it doesn’t take a majority. One veto from any of them and that’s it. No room even for appeal.”

“So, you _have ___read the whole thing.”

“Cover to cover.”

“Even the fine print?” Tony wanted to be sure.

“Especially the fine print.” Steve confirmed.

“And?” Tony asked, hoping to get a more useful dialogue going.

“The provision for any of us disagreeing with a decision is detainment.” Steve understood Tony wanted to go over sticking points they’d each found.

“Yep. And not a word on whether it’s temporary or permanent detainment.”

“With the vague language, I bet Ross would send any dissenters to the Raft.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t take that bet.” Tony agreed.

“How much of the Raft did you see when you visited?” Steve asked cautiously, knowing what sequence of events followed that visit.

“Enough to see what was done to Wanda and the rest of the gang.” Tony cringed but stayed on topic. “And no, I didn’t think it was right. Any of it.”

“There was more. A lot more than Ross was willing to show you.” The super soldier referred to what he’d seen on his own jaunt through the prison to break out the rest of his team, not the least of which were the labs clearly set up for experiments - both humane and inhumane – on any prisoners that were taken to the raft.

“I know.” Tony acknowledged wearily. “I saw the schematics. Detainment, containment and experimentation.”

“But you’re still working with Ross. At least tell me you don’t trust him?”

“Not even as far as I can throw him. But I can’t just get rid of him either. He’s the Secretary of State. He has the ear of the President, the support of a lot of the UN and he’s managed to either bury or whitewash most of his past transgressions.” Tony hadn’t been idle in the past month-and-a-half and one of the things he’d been investigating was Ross’s disquieting rise to power.

“Yeah. I’m actually glad Bruce wasn’t around for this. I can’t imagine him having to be anywhere near Ross would end well for anyone.”

Tony remembered Natasha asking him if he really thought Bruce would have been on their side. He had wanted to believe their friendship would garner him Bruce’s loyalty but he’d known even then that that was naive wishful thinking. Bruce would never have sided with anything Ross was involved in.

“No, it wouldn’t have.” Tony conceded. “But, while Ross is large and in charge…”

“Boss?” Friday interrupted the conversation. “Secretary Ross is in route to the compound. ETA is ten minutes.”

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” Tony muttered. “You heard Friday?” He asked into the receiver.

“Yes.” Super soldier hearing had guaranteed that.

“We’ll have to table this. I can’t keep him waiting.” It galled Tony, but he had to play nice with Ross for now, at least.

“Until when?”

“Until I can get secure again for a while. It’s really a shame he showed up now.” Tony added. “We were actually being civil, if not downright cordial."

“Yeah, it was a good start.”

“You gonna keep the phone with you?” Tony asked.

“Yes, of course.” Steve said earnestly.

“Okay good.” Tony nodded to himself. “I’ll call again soon. I’ll make sure it’s soon.”

“Okay. Talk to you soon then.”

“Bye Cap.”

“Goodbye Shellhead.”

Hanging up, both men decided the phone call went better than they could have hoped, the early bitterness not withstanding.


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Tony hung up the flip phone with a sigh. “Out of the frying pan and into the oven.” He muttered and readied himself for yet another unscheduled meeting Secretary Ross decided they needed.

Putting on his suit jacket, Tony straightened out his three-piece suit and went to greet the current Secretary of State and thorn in his side at the door to his office in the New Avengers Facility he was still based in. 

“Secretary,” Tony greeted Thaddeus Ross civilly if not altogether pleasantly. 

“Stark.” Ross returned the less than heartwarming welcome in kind. 

“What brings you by?” Tony asked, smile not reaching his eyes. He really had to dial down his hostility. It wouldn’t do him any good to get on Ross’s bad side. “I thought we’d finished our daily discussion over the phone.”

“Yes, I’m sure you did.” Ross replied mildly. “But I was in the area anyway and thought I’d pay a visit, see how things are going.”

“In the area?” Tony echoed, disbelievingly. “Manhattan’s not exactly a hop, skip and a jump away.”

“I was actually on my way up to Albany.” * Ross wanted it to seem like casual, opportune timing. Not that he necessarily thought the other man would fall for it. But facades of pleasantness and harmony were important to keep up while Ross still deemed Stark useful.

“Huh,” Tony said thoughtfully, not fooled for a minute. “As busy as you are, I’m surprised you didn’t hop on a flight.”

“Maybe on my way back.” Ross rejoined. “I find the quiet ride peaceful, a good time to catch up on paperwork.”

“Yeah,” Tony’s smile was slightly more genuine, reminding himself not to antagonize the man yet. “There’s always a lot of that.”

“So,” Ross walked over to the sofa sat in front of a glass coffee table and surrounded by an oversized chair on either side, their usual talking grounds. “Any news?”

“Since we talked earlier today?” Tony asked as he walked to the bar and poured each of them a glass of bottled water. Sobriety was important any time he dealt with Ross and Tony knew Ross would never drink in front of him either.

“It was a short conversation.”

“Short? An hour is short?”

“It is when not enough is accomplished.” Ross reasons.

“What did you forget?”

“I didn’t forget any questions, I just didn’t like some of your answers. But at least you didn’t put me on hold.”

“I’m a busy man. I have a company to keep afloat, inventions to invent.” Tony countered and added for Ross’s benefit, lest the man forget the price paid for going after Cap’s rogue Avengers. “A friend to help learn to walk again.”

“How _is_ Rhodes doing?” Ross asked, perfunctorily.

“Better,” Was the succinct reply, no reason to give more information than necessary.

“Good,” Ross said, “I hope to see to see him out there again. You’re going to need all the help you can get when you do finally find Captain Rogers and his allies.”

“I told you, the world is a big place. Facial recognition software only goes so far.” Tony reminded the Secretary. “And that’s assuming they’re not holed up somewhere where any technology is useless.”

“But you’re still trying?” Ross watched him carefully, wanting confirmation.

“Of course I am,” Tony, always a good actor, scoffed. “What? You think I’m going to forgive either of them?”

“I don’t mind your need for revenge, but they all need to be brought to justice for breaking the Accords.”

“You’ll put them back in the Raft once we find them?” Tony asked, fishing for information. “I can’t put them in the deepest dark hole I can build, but you can. And no one will look twice.” 

“Of course,” Ross nodded almost enthusiastically. He didn’t entirely trust Stark but in this he believed they had the same objective. Put Rogers and Barnes (and the rest) away where no one will question what happens to them. Zemo at least did them a favor by pitting Stark against those two.

“No due process, lawyering up bullshit, right?” Tony kept fishing.

“The Accords were ratified, Captain Rogers and his followers broke them. The consequences are clear. The Accords supersede any national law. They won’t be able to hide behind so-called inalienable rights that exist in their country of citizenship.” Ross confirmed. “But if your lawyers have their way, amendments may change that.”

“Well,” Tony kept up his façade. “Then I’ll have to stall them until after we find Cap and Barnes.” Not that he had any intention of doing that, but Ross didn’t have to know that. Tony would make damn sure Ross and that part of the Accords was out of the picture before Rogers came out of hiding. As angry as he still was at the lot of them, he didn’t wish the Raft and the torture/experimentation disguised as security that would surely happen on any of them.

“Anything from Dr. Pym yet?” Ross asked another question Tony had dodged answering in previous conversations. 

“He still swears Lang broke the suit when he went big, including the built-in tracking. Says that he wants a piece of Lang himself because of the unauthorized use.” Tony headed off the next question. “And besides telling me he’ll never trust a Stark he also claims he destroyed the schematics so no one will ever use his tech like Lang and that Darren Cross guy did.”

“Yes, and we’ve seen nothing to disprove that claim so no judge will grant a warrant. Hell, without video footage we’d never get anyone to believe it happened.”

“Yeah,” Tony answered. “It’s too bad Wanda and Clint fried the airport surveillance before we got there.” Of course Tony later made sure nothing could be recovered, not the least for which so Spider-Man’s involvement would be kept secret. There was no way he was going to involve the 15-year-old in their politics. Peter Parker deserved better than that for just trying to do the right thing. He’d gotten a promise from the kid to stick to street crime and stay low for now. “Are you still watching his ex and their daughter?”

“No, it’s clear that Lang’s not welcome there and would be turned in if he tried contacting them.”

Tony suspected that, much like Pym and his daughter, Lang’s family were acting hostile to protect the ex-criminal. But that was something else he felt he need not to share with Ross. “Still no luck on Barton’s family?” He asked instead.

“No, they disappeared before we got there. Even after an extensive search there was no trace of where they went.”

“After all these years I guess Barton had to have a failsafe or two in place.” Privately he was sure that it had been Natasha that had gotten Laura and the kids out as soon as she ditched the team after the airport. It was why he felt safe in mentioning them at his visit to the Raft. He’d already checked that Barton’s farm had been abandoned before offering them up to Ross. Snitching on them had given him credibility with Ross without compromising Clint’s family because even if Tony hadn’t said a word about them, it was only a matter of time before Ross found Laura and the kids by turning over every rock associated with the Avengers in his quest to find Rogers and Barnes. This way, Tony “proved” his loyalty to the Accords by freely giving up information. “He was a paranoid SHIELD spy after all.”

“Yes, I’m sure the resources he’s gathered over the years have helped them all.”

“Plus Lang’s colorful past.” Tony added, playing up their skills to make hiding more plausible. “Betcha he learned a lot in prison.” He’d really have to confirm with Rogers where they were so he could throw Ross and his goons off the scent.

“Still, you’re the genius as you like to keep reminding me.” Ross stood up, getting ready to leave. He did have an appointment in Albany after all. “It’s been two months. I expect results soon.”

“Not two months. Only six weeks.” Tony corrected. “Semantics.” He shrugged unapologetically.

“Fine. Six weeks.” Ross conceded. “Either way, I need results. The longer this goes on the less angry everyone gets.”

“Well, people tend to forget quickly if it’s not right in front of their face.”

“Exactly.” Ross agreed. “Two weeks, Tony.”

“Then what?” Tony asked, dreading the answer.

“I’m going to commission a task force. A worldwide net.” Ross answered. “Offer substantial rewards for capture. Dead or Alive.” He’d prefer alive but he’d settle for getting the serum secrets out of a corpse if he had to.

Tony definitely didn’t like the sound of that. He’d better get talking to Rogers again. And soon. They were running out of time before they even got started. Should have gotten over his anger and called sooner. 

Even Rhodey’s trust and loyalty to Ross had waned in the time since the Accords were introduced. He’d seen and heard enough to make himself question Ross’s motives and the feasibility and morality of enforcing the Accords as presented. And if that wasn’t a red flag…

After he walked the Secretary out of his office, Tony sat back down and spoke aloud. “Friday, you got all that?” He wanted to make sure every conversation was recorded for future reference and hopefully impeachment.

 

* I always imagined the Avengers facility is somewhere north of New York City, somewhat less than an hour out (by car). A quick flight in a quinjet or an Iron Man suit. And Albany, New York State’s capital is an approximately two-and-a-half drive, north from Manhattan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this was supposed to be a shorter chapter but it kinda turned into an information dump.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter, but another character is ushered in.

Chapter Six

Before Tony had a chance to return to that damned flip-phone after he’d ensured his office was secure from prying eyes and ears again, another visitor strolled in nonchalantly, having apparently conspired with his AI to bypass security.

A blonde Natasha Romanov walked into his office and sat herself down across the desk he was sitting behind. Tony didn’t think her timing, appearing just after Ross’s visit, was a coincidence. Considering her disguised appearance he also guessed she didn’t want anyone else knowing she was here.

“Were you lurking or hovering?” Tony asked the ex (or was it current) spy. Did she want info on his discussions with Ross, or did she come to check on Tony?

“Neither. I’m a spy. I’ve been spying.” Nat replied with a smirk. She had no compunction about speaking plainly with Tony, knowing from FRIDAY that he’d secured the office before she entered.

Well that answered one question, at least. “Oh? On whom were you spying, pray tell?” The engineer asked, wondering if she knew about the phone currently hidden in a drawer and his recent communication with their once teammate. He wouldn’t put it past her. She did seem to know everything.

Pulling out a USB flash drive and waving it in front of Tony, Nat’s demeanor became serious. “I have something for you to look at. Only you, for now.”

“Am I gonna like it?”

“Depends on what you’re hoping to accomplish with The Accords going forward and who you want to end up in bed with to get there.”

“Well, that’s not at all cryptic.”

“I’m trusting you to do the right thing with the information on here.” Nat ignored his comment. She didn’t tell him what she thought the right thing was either. Hell, she wasn’t telling him much of anything. “It’s encoded, by me. But I’m sure you won’t have difficulty breaking the encryption.”

“On a standalone of course?” 

“On a standalone.” Nat confirmed. “For your eyes and ears only.”

Now Tony was even more intrigued by that drive. Looked like he would have to put his return to call to Rogers off for a little longer. He’d have to fly back to his workshop in the Tower, where privacy and security was most ensured. Over the years, various hacking attempts (some more successful than others) spurred Tony on to create a completely self-contained server in his Tower workshop that could only be accessed by him only while on the premises.

“Call me after you’ve gone through the drive.” Nat told him as she got up to no doubt vanish again, leaving another flip-phone on his desk, this one a bright red. “Don’t say anything to Steve until then.”

“How do you know…” Tony trailed off as Nat smirked one last time before closing the door behind her.

**********

Three hours later, after a thorough review of the flash drive, Tony called the only number programmed into the red phone.

“So?” Nat asked without preamble as she picked up on the second ring.

“Why’d you come to me with this? Why not Cap? Show him how right he was about people with agendas?” Tony skipped the small talk as well.

“You can do more with it than he can. Subtlety and discretion aren’t really either your or Steve’s strong suits, but you have a much better chance at releasing the information in increments and keeping us out of the uproar it’s going to cause.”

“Uproar? Try shitstorm.” Tony countered sardonically. “How legit is this?” He asked, not bothering to inquire how Nat got the info. She wouldn’t tell him and he wasn’t at all sure he wanted to know anyway.

“It’s all factual.” Nat told him. “And it’ll give you a lot to talk to Steve about.” Nat hung up before Tony could formulate a response. Natasha may sometimes only act like she knew everything, but this time she apparently really did know everything.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve's pov while waiting for Tony to call back.

Chapter Seven 

 

With the seven-hour difference between New York and Wakanda, it was early evening in the African country when Steve and Tony’s conversation was cut short by Ross’s imminent arrival.

His stomach reminding him that he hadn’t eaten anything substantial since lunch, Steve checked that the flip-phone still had good battery life, shoved it into his sweatpants pocket and picked up the copy of the Accords he’d been making notations in. T’Challa had provided them all with copies and the king had sat in during some of the numerous discussions and debates Steve, Sam, Clint, Wanda and Scott had had over the document. Scott may not have been an Avenger before, but he’d certainly proved his mettle since. Clint’s wife Laura had also participated in some of their meetings, providing a sort of civilian perspective.

They agreed official status and legitimacy would help their standing in the world and political climate, but it had to be fair to them too, not just to whoever was in the position of pointing them to a target. They too needed a say in their own deployment. There were a lot of notes on Steve’s copy of the Accords about that. None of them were willing to be what amounted to automatons or drones, with immediate and indefinite detainment being the consequence of disagreement.

Ideally all of this should have been done before they were asked to sign the Accords. Tony trying to amend the document to be fairer to the signees was admirable but late. Normally, people didn’t sign contracts before ironing out details and particulars to the satisfaction of both parties. And a novel-length document that was forced onto them with only three days to sign or retire should have and did raise red flags from the beginning.

Taking the document with him in case Tony called, he headed for the shared kitchen the fugitive Avengers used as often than the ones in their generously appointed (courtesy of T’Challa) apartments. The Wakandan king had vetted and trusted everyone who worked in the palace to keep Steve and his teammates hidden from the outside world so they all felt safe in roaming the palace and the palace grounds, not worried about a retrieval team coming after them.

Steve wasn’t concerned that the phone would ring near his teammates. He’d told them earlier that he had sent the untraceable communications device to Tony. Some of them were more wary of the decision, but they’d trusted that Steve had known what he was doing when he’d sent that phone.

After Siberia, after breaking his team out of the Raft and after Bucky had decided to go back into cryo, Steve had had a lot of time to think and reflect back on his life and his decisions since waking up in this century.

There were many things he’d do all over again personally and professionally, even knowing what he knew now, some of it especially because of what he knew now. But there were some choices and actions he’d come to regret. At the top of that list personally _and_ professionally, was his subconscious decision to in effect stubbornly blind himself to the fact that it had to have been the Winter Soldier who had murdered Tony’s parents at the behest of Hydra.

Steve still believed in Bucky’s innocence of that horrific crime as well as the others that had been committed by the Winter Soldier. There was no doubt in the super soldier that, had Bucky been in his right mind, he would never murder anyone, let alone someone who he’d once called friend and their innocent family. But Hydra had spent years, _decades_ subverting Bucky completely to create the Winter Soldier. 

Clint had never talked much about his time under Loki’s mind control but he had told Steve once that there hadn’t been anything of himself while under the scepter’s influence. But even still, it had taken Clint a long time and many reassurances to even somewhat get over what, in essence, his body had done while his mind was not his own. And Clint’s time brainwashed had been days, not decades and with no torture administered on top of it. 

That Bucky had regained himself as much as he had in the past two years was a small miracle in itself. That Bucky had managed to go on and survive on his own for as long as he had with all the guilt that had been plaguing him over what Hydra had forced on him was another miracle. 

Steve hadn’t agreed with his friend’s decision to go back into cryo, but he couldn’t begrudge him his choice. As Peggy had once told him long ago, he had to allow Bucky the dignity of his choice. That was even truer now. After 70 years of Hydra not allowing him any choice, Steve couldn’t take this one away from him. He just hoped that T’Challa’s people would be able to help Bucky sooner than later. From what he’d seen so far, Steve believed they would be able to. The technology here rivaled anything of Tony’s and Stark Industries. Wanda had also promised to try to help (if Bucky allowed it) once she was more fully recovered and her powers stabilized enough to be able to enter Bucky’s mind without harm to him or herself. 

Steve had faith that “fixing” Bucky enough that he wouldn’t think himself a danger to others would happen one day in the not too distant future. Once that happened, he and the others would help Bucky with whatever was needed to help him on the road to recovery.

In the meantime, Steve had to move forward and put the team back together. With Tony seemingly wanting to help, the task didn’t seem as daunting as a few weeks ago. Still, if they genuinely wanted a real reconciliation then at some point, they were going to have to get over each other’s mistakes and perceived betrayals. They had started to in their conversation, but they hadn’t gotten far. There had still been a lot of anger on both sides so tabling their ire and working on the Accords instead had been the best choice.

Arriving at the shared kitchen, Steve saw he was alone, the rest of his friends elsewhere so he turned his thoughts to making himself dinner. Not in the mood to cook, he checked the refrigerator for any leftovers, grimacing at what he found. “Sandwiches it is,” he muttered to himself then set about making enough for his enhanced metabolism.

Steve decided he’d talk to his teammates in the morning to inform them of his optimism over the conversation he’d had with Tony. In fact, he hoped to have another one at some point tonight. Tony said he’d call back as soon as he could, so another call before morning was certainly a possibility. Thanks to the serum, Steve didn’t need much sleep, so staying up to talk to Tony wouldn’t be a hardship. It’d actually be a welcome distraction from all the thoughts that circled through his head while awake at times when everyone else was sleeping. 

Either way, he’d talk to his friends in the morning. After Siberia he’d promised himself no more secrets and he intended to keep that promise.

Later, as he was back in his own rooms and sitting on his couch once again working on amending the Accords, Steve’s phone finally rang. Noting the time, Steve realized it was just after 5pm in New York. Pleased that Tony had indeed called again on the same day, Steve picked up the phone hoping to strategize some more with the genius inventor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to parsnip for the Agents of SHIELD info and for pointing me to the relevant wiki.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long delay. Both RL and the plot were kicking my butt. But RL has calmed down and the plot has been somewhat reworked. 
> 
> Please note additional character tag. 
> 
> After re-watching Civil War (and then researching MCU’s phase one movies), a couple of lines of dialogue grew into a plot bunny that I think makes for a better story than I’d originally planned. This chapter and the slightly different story direction it resulted in basically came from a couple of lines between Tony and Natasha in Civil War during the airport battle.
> 
>    
>  _Tony: “It would be great if we had a Hulk, right about now. Any shot?”_
> 
>  
> 
> _Natasha: “You really think he’d be on our side?”_
> 
>  
> 
>    
> Now, I know that Bruce is purported to go off on an adventure with Thor sometime after Ultron but Thor: Ragnarok isn’t being released for another year, so I’m basically ignoring any rumors and what might be.
> 
> Lastly, there was a small continuity issue I fixed in chapter 7. Nothing significant, just a mistake I hadn’t realized I’d made.

Chapter Eight

At the same time in Sydney, Australia, at just around 7 AM local time, 14 hours ahead of New York time, Bruce Banner sat hunched over the laptop he’d pilfered in order to remain anonymous while surfing the internet at a neighborhood café.

The coffee shop had been open for an hour and business was steady enough already, a line at the counter and tables filling up quickly, that Bruce felt confident that no one was paying any undue attention to him.

He’d been very careful to cover his tracks over the last year. In fact, as soon as he was done here the laptop and the flash drive he was using to upload his content would go right into an incinerator to be destroyed long before any authority would be searching for it.

Bruce had debated internally long and hard before deciding on his current course. When he, as the Other Guy, had run from the Avengers after Ultron’s devastation, he already knew that it wasn’t going to be a temporary leave of absence. The Other Guy had purposely taken himself off grid by cutting communications and Bruce had been in agreement to keep it that way.

When he woke up in the belly of the quinjet, Bruce had discovered that he was somewhere near Fiji, in the heart of the South Pacific. While he had believed that the rest of the team (especially genius engineer Tony Stark who could find him if he really tried) would allow him his peace and not look too hard for him, Bruce hadn’t take it as a given.

Bruce had found a working emergency raft and rations for a week in the quinjet. He then sunk the aircraft before heading to the nearest more remote island in the Fiji archipelago. With a few days growth of beard and the ratty clothing hanging off him, he was unrecognizable to the locals who had only cursory knowledge of his alter ego. 

The scientist explained to some very helpful native fishermen that he was a tourist on a sailing boat whose boat had sunk and he just needed a computer and phone to get himself sorted out. Contrary to popular belief, Bruce was not without funds. Tony and Stark Industries had paid him a generous salary for three years almost immediately after what everyone had called the Battle of New York. Living with the Avengers, his expenses had been minimal and Bruce had been able to squirrel away a nice sized untraceable nest egg.

He had used local resources to buy prepaid phones to access his funds and distance himself from Fiji, in case anyone came looking for him. He’d gone from Fiji to New Zealand then Australia, finally settling in Sydney, where he found it easier to blend in with the many tourists and vacationers constantly visiting the city. 

Bruce had kept up to date with the Avengers and anything related, always looking over his shoulder to keep safe and invisible. When he’d found out about the sudden appearance of the Sokovia Accords, he’d used his skills to dig deeper. He had not liked what he had found. 

That ex-general Ross had amassed enough of a power base to be awarded a medal of honor and appointed Secretary of State then put in charge of handling anyone who signed and came under the purview of the Accords raised one of many red flags for Bruce. After managing to get a copy of the document, he only became more alarmed. By the time his former teammates had split and fought each other, Bruce had made up his own mind. 

In the aftermath, he’d been deeply disappointed in his so called “science brother.” Bruce had appreciated Tony’s position, where the man was coming from in agreeing to sign something, anything that would alleviate his grief, pain and guilt over Ultron and everything that had come before, whether really his fault or not.

Bruce certainly understood that part. He’d had more than his own share of it ever since the Other Guy was born. It was certainly on his mind when he’d decided to run after Ultron. Bruce had also known of Tony’s crappy childhood (which he could more than relate to) and untreated PTSD. All in all, Bruce could see how oversight would be a godsend to Tony. 

But none of the past was a good enough reason to go behind his teammates backs and be a proponent of signing their freedom away to a document that put Thaddeus Ross in charge of overseeing them. Tony had gotten Bruce to open up to him over the years. He knew how much Bruce had despised and not trusted the former army general. How Tony could think any kind of an alliance with that man would be good for anyone but Ross himself was a depressing mystery.  
Bruce and the Other Guy had agreed that they needed a break to regroup after the fiasco that was Ultron and his part in it. The other thing they’d agreed on was that anything involving Ross could not be anything good.

So in all good conscience Bruce couldn’t leave control of the Avengers or any powered individual in Ross’s hands. Almost a decade ago, Ross had wanted his own super powered army to control, not necessarily to the benefit the world around him. He’d kept an eye out on Ross over the years, afraid of what the man was capable of. He’d observed as Ross had risen from the ashes of his army career and built himself another power base, claiming a 180 turn of his goals and agenda after a heart attack. But Bruce knew Ross well enough to know that a leopard like him never changed his spots. Whatever he was up to was only for his gain. Bruce knew, had proof even, that Ross had never given up on creating super soldiers to use for his own personal militia. The Accords would make things easier for Ross, gaining him access to and control over enhanced people.

Bruce had collected the proof of Ross’s misdeeds in the name of super soldier research and other inhumane projects over the years, hoarding the information until he’d need to expose Ross for the manipulative madman that he was. And now, that time had come. Before Ross caused even more damage than he already had.

Bruce had briefly thought about contacting Natasha, giving her the information to do with it what she deemed appropriate but in the end he’d decided against that for a number of reasons. For one, he didn’t want any of the blowback to hit his friends and former teammates, especially as they were already teetering on a razor thin wire in the world political arena. For another, he and Natasha hadn’t parted on the best of terms to say the least and, given his past and hers, he still wasn’t ready to forgive and forget Natasha’s actions that shook his trust in her. Besides, he wasn’t sure on what side of the fence she was currently sitting on. 

As for the others, besides the plausible deniability he wanted for them, Bruce didn’t know where Steve and his team were hiding. Tony and his friends were certainly not an option, as he didn’t want any questions about their involvement in what would surely discredit Ross. The last thing Tony needed was to be involved. He needed his inevitable denial of involvement to ring true so as not to get caught up in the hammer that was surely going to come down on Ross. As much as Tony’s decisions had pained him, Bruce was still protective of him.

Besides, this was something Bruce needed to do himself. He needed to be the one that brought Ross down. Maybe then everyone would see what these likely needed but definitely misguided Accords had placed in positions of power. Even giving the UN the benefit of the doubt that Hydra had been rooted out after SHIELD went down in DC, too many member nation representatives, especially those that sat on the Security Council and therefore were responsible for implementing any sanctioned actions, had their own agendas that weren’t always for the benefit of their own people, let alone the rest of the world.

Final ruminations done and decision solidified, Bruce determinedly uploaded the contents of his flash drive and sent a massive email out to every news agency he trusted not to bury the story with a summary of what he’d uploaded and where to find it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for checking the story out and for the kudos, comments and bookmarks.


End file.
